Links

For the first time since Ed Belfour was a Hogtown hero, you can say this about the Toronto Maple Leafs: That is a damn good hockey club.

Over the years, disillusioned, delirious and disenchanted Leafs fans have certainly been tricked into believing the team was much better than it was. This time around it's different.

This club now has depth.

In fact, it may be one of the deeper teams in the league.

Defensively, the club's embarrassment of riches is such that John-Michael Liles was only recently called up to be the club's seventh defenceman on the team's three-game western swing that hits Calgary Wednesday.

Dion Phaneuf is playing like a captain, tasked with shutting down top opponents and doing a solid job of it while Cody Franson shines offensively and Morgan Rielly soaks up accolades as Toronto's favourite shiny new object.

Their job has been made easier by the nightly heroics behind them as hotshot Jonathan Bernier has effectively pushed James Reimer to greater heights. One of few teams to have depth in net.

Offensively, the list of studs grows as James van Riemsdyk and Joffrey Lupul take turns starring with headliner Phil Kessel, while Nazem Kadri has piled up a respectable point total on the second and third lines. Only now is he getting his chance at first-line minutes given Tyler Bozak's injury.

Mason Raymond has cooled off from his shocking start but has proven capable of shut-down assignments with fellow-newbie Dave Bolland, who just happens to be the belle of the ball now as Mr. Do-It-All is also amongst league goal leaders with six. Eventually, David Clarkson will contribute too.

As painful as it is to hear from Leaf Fan, it truly is time they got their due as one of the league's better outfits moving forward. This time it's not an illusion.

Around the horn

Enough with the jersey squabbling, the Calgary Flames new third sweater is a classic, good-looking garment -- one that will be under a huge number of Christmas trees this year and for years to come. It's so tiring and predictable to hear people whine about it just as they've done each of the last two times Hockey Canada unveiled its Olympic jersey. Might I remind everyone the 2010 Olympic jersey was slammed at first, only to see the initial "controversy" followed by record sales. No Flames jersey will ever sell as much as the red ones introduced a decade back with the first black logo, but these will sell well, especially after the team wears them for 12 of its remaining 37 home games "¦ Amazing to see the Vancouver Canucks return from their seven-game roadie with a 5-1-1 record, especially given their injuries. In their final OT win in St. Louis Friday, Eddie Lack was the starting goalie and their bottom two lines consisted of Tom Sestito/Zack Kassian/ Jeremy Welsh and Yannick Weber/Pascal Pelletier/Darren Archibald. Former 41-goal scorer Ryan Kesler appears to have finally regained his scoring touch of late (six goals and eight points on that road trip) thanks to his first assignment alongside the Sedins. Coach John Tortorella likes Kesler using his size along the boards and plans to keep him on the top unit for the foreseeable future. However, such a move wouldn't have been possible if not for the great start by Mike Santorelli on the second line. The Vancouver native, who signed with his hometown team in the summer, has been one of the best stories of the young NHL season as the 27-year-old has been a huge contributor to the Canucks' early success. It was just last April he was put on waivers by the Florida Panthers (oh, the humanity) and picked up by the Winnipeg Jets. This summer as a free agent he signed a one-year, two-way deal for a rock-bottom NHL salary of US$550,000 and has responded with four goals and five assists in 13 games. He has scored two game-winners, which doesn't include the shootout winner he picked up in the team's win over Cory Schneider's New Jersey Devils. Can't get enough of stories like that.

Parting gift

Classic example of a good trade for both teams when the Buffalo Sabres shipped Thomas Vanek to the New York Islanders for Matt Moulson, a first-round draft pick and a second-rounder. The Sabres definitely make off like bandits given their season is already over and Vanek clearly wasn't returning next year. What's more, if Moulson doesn't find a way to find that scoring touch that landed him three-straight 30-goal seasons, he, too, may be traded at the deadline to land Buffalo even more riches. Meanwhile, the Islanders land a man with superstar skills if only he had reason to care. He's scored the seventh-most goals in the NHL since '05, and now that he is facing unrestricted free agency with a chance to play with John Tavares, surely he'll up his give-a-crap meter.

For the first time in a long time, Toronto Maple Leafs a damn good team

For the first time since Ed Belfour was a Hogtown hero, you can say this about the Toronto Maple Leafs: That is a damn good hockey club.

Over the years, disillusioned, delirious and disenchanted Leafs fans have certainly been tricked into believing the team was much better than it was. This time around it's different.

This club now has depth.

In fact, it may be one of the deeper teams in the league.

Defensively, the club's embarrassment of riches is such that John-Michael Liles was only recently called up to be the club's seventh defenceman on the team's three-game western swing that hits Calgary Wednesday.

Dion Phaneuf is playing like a captain, tasked with shutting down top opponents and doing a solid job of it while Cody Franson shines offensively and Morgan Rielly soaks up accolades as Toronto's favourite shiny new object.

About the author

Other Stories

Anyone still think Glen Gulutzan should be fired? Hands up for those who still want Dougie Hamilton shipped out of town? Is there anyone left who believes Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan simply can’t handle their new pay grade?